Naguleswaram kovil reopen for worshippers

The Naguleswaram Hindu Kovil in Kiramalai was reopened for worship after a lapse of decades and a bus service for pilgrims was started from December 15 on President Mahinda Rajapaksa's directive. As this ancient shrine was within the high security zone during the armed conflict devotees could not visit it earlier.

According to tradition the shrine was more than a thousand years old and Hindus from all parts of the country had come there to worship.

The present buildings of the shrine were erected in 1842 and it was renovated and improved in 1971. Folklore in the North relates a story of a holy man Jamaddakli in Kasi village in India who had been meditating in a shrine had to suffer a strange metamorphosis. His face became the face of a mongoose due to the curse of gods. He had later come to Kiramalai and was spent his time in prayer in a cave.

One day he heard a command in a voice from above asking him to go to the sea and bathe.

When the holy man had his sea bath he got his human face again and he found a Silvalingam in the sea afterwards.

The Naguleswaram shrine also has very rare Sivalingams, multiple ones with 100 Sivalingams sculpted in graphite. In all there are 1,000 Sivalingams in the shrine and Sri Lankan and Indian Hindus hold this shrine in high veneration as a place of worship giving blessings to worshippers. (LdeS)